The One True Desire
by LoverofBalto
Summary: AU A boy is rescued many years ago, by one very unlikely person. While they grow feelings blossom and history is rewritten. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Friendships

Well I'm starting another story after disappearing off the face of the earth for how long now. If you noticed that some of my stories are missing I removed them, because I lost interest in finishing them. I may post them again I may not.

This story I'm starting is an AU (meaning alternate universe). It's time to answer the age old question of what the Phantom of the Opera would be like if he and Mme. Giry had become a pair? I have a bunch of surprising plots twists and turns to use, so don't expect this to be a normal turn of the notch piece. Hope you guys like it.

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The One True Desire

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Chapter 1: Friendships 

_July 14th, 1844_

"Oh, Madame is going to be so upset about me being late," Antoinette groaned as she hurried to the dancing rooms.

However she wasn't the only one rushing to lessons at this moment. The whole corps de ballet youth division had gone to the traveling fair last night just for fun. Though a good portion of the girls had nightmares from the sites they had seen and many of them had to do with a small boy that had been named the "Devil's Child."

Antoinette had sat up a good portion of the night listening to the girls go on about the boy. It hurt her, so to hear them be so cruel to someone less fortunate than themselves.

"He was so ugly," a small girl named Lily piped up. "What they do burn his face to make it look that way?"

"I bet they did," another girl named Charlotte agreed.

"I liked seeing him squirm," a third girl by the name of Madeline joined in. "It was about time somebody gave men a good spanking."

Antoinette had had enough. "SHUT UP! Shut up all of you!" Every girl in the dormitories stopped talking and looked up at her as she climbed off her bed to stand in the middle of the room. "Do any of you have any idea of how selfish you're being? I found it disgusting that all of you were laughing at that boy. What if it had been you inside that cage?" she asked turning to gaze at each one.

The girls all looked at one another as if Antoinette had suddenly gone insane. Yet, one girl did speak up.

"You know I do recall Antoinette not coming back to the Opera House with us. Why don't you enlighten us and tell us where you had disappeared to?"

Antoinette knew she couldn't tell them about Erik. He was the real reason she had left the fairgrounds in such a hurry. He was a murderer and an escaped criminal now, but she was not about to let him suffer anymore. The only safe place she could put him was a well hidden cavern down in the fifth cellar. Not everyone knew about those caverns except from past crew members, who enjoyed telling the story of how the fifth cellar was flooded years ago and never used after that.

Erik was down there now resting on a makeshift bed of pillows, blankets, and old curtains Antoinette had collected for him. She felt bad for leaving him all alone, but he was more than grateful for the kindness she had shown him and he would wait for her to return later tomorrow with something to eat. She quickly realized that all Erik had ever wanted was kindness and a chance to be accepted by people even though he never said that.

"Well I came back, because I was so disgusted with the whole place. Those people weren't trying to be entertaining they were trying to frighten us and take away our well earned money. I knew the way back, so I returned on my own."

The other girls seemed to believe her, because many of them just rolled over and started going back to sleep. She felt proud of herself as she climbed back into bed and went to sleep.

* * *

"Antoinette you're late!" a shrill voice interrupted her train of thought as she entered the dancing room. 

Antoinette prayed Madame would give her a break just this once seeing as she was a fairly good student. She had never been late to class before and she was a fast learner when it came to the dance steps.

"I'm so sorry Madame, but the other girls kept having nightmares and waking me up. I think the fair spooked them."

"Yes, I'm afraid it did. I wasn't so keen on taking you girls, but majority of you wanted to go. Well enough dawdling. Get your shoes and stand at the bar please."

Practice lasted an agonizing 4 hours before the girls were finally released. Antoinette was so pleased and before heading off to the hidden passage way she grabbed some fresh bread from the cafeteria and tucked it into her ballet bag.

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Erik was sitting lazily against one of the stone walls, with a pillow between him and the wall as a support, whittling a piece of wood with a knife. His stomach growled for the eleventh time in the past time and he groaned. 

"I hope she didn't forget about me. I'm ready to die from hunger."

He worked a bit longer on the wood his stomach growling almost every five seconds until he heard an all too familiar voice call out his name.

"Erik? Are you still down here?"

Erik looked up through the eye holes of his mask and smiled as Antoinette approached. He stood and took a moment to regard her. She was still in her ballet outfit, but he didn't mind at all. "I'm here," he replied

"I am so sorry I took so long. I should have explained that practices can be rather long."

"Yes, I do recall you refraining from telling me that. But I'll let it go. I don't want you to put too much of your time into taking care of me and seeing to my goodwill. I can take care of myself when needed as long as I have shelter and something to eat," Erik said as his stomach let out another annoyed growl.

Antoinette giggled. "Well it just so happens I brought some lunch with me," she said taking out the bread and some juice she had managed to swipe. Also she pulled out some candies she had been saving that her mother had sent her for a birthday present. It was a small meal, but it would do for now.

"Is all this for me?" Erik asked bewildered by what was laid out in front of him. He had never expected anyone to go to such lengths to care for him. The fact that she even risked her life for his startled him.

"No, it's not all for you," Antoinette said with a laugh. "I need to eat too."

"Oh, all right I guess I can share this small feast with you," Erik said moving to sit down and lean back against the wall. As his back touched the cold stone he let out a staggered breathe through his teeth.

"Erik what's wrong?" Antoinette asked as she looked up from pouring the juice.

"It's nothing. Just some old wounds giving me trouble," he replied with a wince as he reached for the pillow again.

Antoinette reached into her bag and pulled out a small bottle. "If you want I can put some of this on your back. It will help soothe the pain."

The corner of Erik's mouth turned upwards a bit as if to smile or to scowl. Antoinette cursed the mask he wore now, because all she could see was his eyes and mouth. That wasn't much to go off of when you wanted to judge feelings by facial expressions. But luckily Erik spoke.

"Do I have to take the mask off?" he asked quietly as he rose up his hand to touch it.

"Don't worry I can get the shirt off without you taking off the mask Erik. But I will remind you that I have seen you're face before and I am not afraid of it. I will never be afraid of your face, but I won't make you take it off."

Slowly Erik's eyes moved from her to look at the floor and the hand upon the mask grabbed hold of the outer part and removed it from his face. He was turned away, so she could only see the better side of his face. It was free of flaw and Antoinette concluded that as the boy grew older that side of his face would become much more handsome.

Eager to comfort him she reached up and cupped her hand around his cheek. His mouth fell open in complete shock, but he did not jump away from her. Using her thumb she caressed the skin with small, steady strokes.

"Antoinette…what are you doing?" he asked as his voice came out in small stuttering gasps.

"I'm proving to you Erik that there are good people in this world. I want you to know you can always trust me to look upon you no different than any other person and I will never laugh at you. I want nothing more than to be your friend."

"I never had a friend before."

"Then let me be the first, please. Allowing this would more than make up for the fact that I rescued you."

As she said this she reached out her other hand and took the marred cheek into it. She slowly had the terrified boy face her and looked deeply into his eyes. They were as blue as the ice covered sidewalks during winter. For a moment Antoinette felt as if nothing matter anymore, but Erik.

"You were going to put something on my scars weren't you?" Erik asked after a couple minutes.

Antoinette let go of him and looked around her. "What's wrong with me? I totally forgot what I was doing."

"Think nothing of it," Erik reassured her as he pulled his shirt over his head revealing a clean, yet very scarred body. He then folded up the shirt and placed it aside. "Well shall we begin?"

"We shall," Antoinette said with a smile as they shared a warm conversation together down below the opera house where they had no worries at all.

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I finished a chapter OMG! Things will get better I promise. Also I apologize for disappeared stories again. I hope no one is too upset. 


	2. The First Performance

I decided to keep going on this story after all. It's not a bad story idea and I have a couple ideas on how to make everything from the play/movie work out haha. Sorry I took so long. I had writer's block; work on other stuff, real work. Shame on me.

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Chapter 2: The First Performance 

After weeks of applying the medicine to Erik's back and constantly reassuring him that she saw no evil in him Antoinette finally began to see change as he become more of a civilized individual. He cleaned himself up more regularly and he didn't mind wearing some spare tech clothes she had found for him. Most of their days were spent sitting down in the cavern talking or she would show him what she had learned during her ballet lessons.

"I wish I could watch you dance up on the stage," he told her one afternoon as she showed him some of her steps.

"I wish you could too Erik, but if they caught you in the audience they'd take you away. They're still out there looking for you and you've been on the front page of the newspaper for almost a month now."

"Well then I won't get caught it's as simple as that. I've looked around this place a couple of times and there are tons of hiding places Antoinette. I found out that the mirrors down here aren't just for show look." He got to his feet and went over to the mirror up against the wall and slid back the glass panel revealing a hidden tunnel.

"Erik, how did you know this was here?" I asked as I stared up into the blackness of the tunnel.

"I found it by chance actually. I was seeing if there was a way to move it over to another spot and my hands slipped on the frame forcing the glass to slide open. This one in particular leads up to the ballet mistresses' quarters and it's a one-way mirror so I can see in, but she can't see out. Now I know why the tech hands around here are so perverted," he said with a disgusted look on his face. "I don't know where all these tunnels go yet, but I advise you change under cover from now on."

"I already do," Antoinette replied. "That fly hand um…oh I forget his name is known for peeking in on the ballet girls. A lot of the other girls like the attention they're getting for their bodies, but I find it to be rather uncomfortable being looked at in that way."

She hadn't realized she began to shake until Erik took her into his small arms and hugged her. He was a bit shorter and three years younger, but he didn't seem to care as he clung to her waist. "I'll keep an eye on him. I promise you he won't be doing stuff like that while I'm around. I'll guard these tunnels and make sure no one knows they exist ever again."

"Erik, that's a lot to promise," Antoinette told him.

Erik stood back and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not going to let anyone look at you or anyone else in this opera house like that ever again. It isn't right," he said with a scowl on his lips.

"Whatever, you say Erik," she said turning her back on him.

Quickly Erik grabbed her wrist and whipped her back around. "Not whatever Antoinette. I will guard these tunnels with my life to see to it that no one is using it to do inappropriate things. You mark my words."

The glint in Erik's eyes made Antoinette come close to cowering in fear. Even though the mask hid most of his expression, the tone of his voice made it quite clear to her that he wasn't playing around; he was down right serious.

"Now, about tonight don't worry I'll be there to see your big debut," Erik said his voice returning to a normal tone.

"But, Erik I…"

"I said I would be there."

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As Antoinette got dressed for the show later that night her mind raced. How was Erik going to get to the show undetected? How was he going to keep the stagehands from spying on her and the other ballet girls? Was she going to do good tonight? And finally would she be able to see Erik from the stage? Being able to see her friend would make dancing that much easier, because whenever she danced for him she felt a warmness sweep down from her heart all the way down to her toes. 

Erik on the other hand had made his way to the costume department by way of the secret tunnels and was wondering up and down through the young boys department. He was discouraged by the first two rows where everything was way to small for him. Turning the corner he almost walked into a stagehand, but managed to duck back behind the rack. The man was Bouquet and he pulled open a small piece of the wall and looked through with a smile on his face.

"_Pervert,"_ Erik thought to himself as he looked around. He had to find a way to distract Bouquet and get him away from the wall.

A mouse squeaked from below him and Erik knelt down scooping the small animal into his hand. Looking between the mouse and Bouquet he quickly formed a plan and crawled through the clothes rack. As fast as lightning Erik pulled a section of Bouquet's pants back, dropped the mouse inside, and dashed back into the clothes rack. The scream that filled the costume department was so ghastly more screams came from the dressing room. The ballet instructor, the manager, and a few stagehands ran into the room demanding an explanation while poor Bouquet bounced up and down trying to get the mouse out of his pants. Finally the mouse fell out of the leg hole and scurried across the floor.

"Bouquet, why did you have a mouse down your pants? You need to be setting up for the first act," the manager exclaimed.

"I know sir, but I came in here to get something and someone put that mouse down my pants honest."

"And who did this to you?"

"I didn't see him. I had my back turned and my mind elsewhere."

"More like in the gutter," the ballet instructor announced pointing at the hole in the wall where shrieks from the ballet girls could still be heard. "He was watching them change I figure."

Bouquet's cheeks turned bright red with embarrassment; it was quite obvious what he had been thinking.

"I am disgusted with you Bouquet. One more report of you watching the girls undress and I'll have you hung from your own fly. You got that?"

"Yes, sir," Bouquet replied fearful of losing his job. It was all he had and he couldn't afford to mess up.

"Now get backstage we're opening in less than half an hour."

Erik had listened intently to the whole conversation. "_Hung from your own fly if caught looking at the ballet girls again huh? Well I'll hold him to that promise if I ever catch him again."_

Once the door had closed behind the last onlooker Erik wandered out of his hiding place and finally found a tux that was his size. Slipping it on and standing in the mirror he was amazed at how dignified he looked. With the mask covering up the bad side of his face he could look properly at the more decent side and use that to evaluate his suit. If only both sides of his face looked as fine.

Before he could take another moment to think music sounded from the theatre. The show was about to start. Hurrying back to the mirror Erik tried to remember the passage to the upstairs theatre hall and moved through the darkness. After a few goofs he finally made it and making sure it was clear pushed the mirror open and walked down the corridor keeping all senses alert.

All the boxes were empty, but one. He pushed open the door marked 5 and went into the box quickly taken in by just how much he could see of the stage. Everyone was seated below him and even the orchestra was in position. Pleased Erik ran back and locked the door. Pushing his chair back into the shadows he sat down just as the lights went down and the ballerinas danced out onto the stage.

Antoinette was so nervous, but she never lost track of her step. Her eyes scanned the audience, but no one looked familiar. He wasn't there. Erik must have gotten lost or worse caught. She came close to panic until she finally caught sight of two golden eyes staring down at her from Box 5. A figure stepped out from the shadow a tad and the white of the mask shown just like a tiny star hidden in a darkened sky. "_Oh, Erik; I knew you wouldn't let me down."

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Another chapter completed after how long? I'm so sorry everyone. I have plans for this story I promise. Give me feedback please.


	3. Antoinette's Present for Erik

Okay someone asked about ages for Erik and Antoinette. Sorry I didn't explain. Erik is 9 when Antoinette rescues him and she is 12. That's the impression I got. Now let's get on with the show.

Note some of this is from Susan Kay's Novel.

Chapter 3: Antoinette's Present for Erik

Rehearsals were already starting for the next performance and Erik was forced to be on his own for long parts of the day, but in truth it didn't bother him quite as much. Poor Antoinette was so afraid of rats and bugs that she never wanted to go exploring with him. With her up at rehearsals and practices he was free to take the boat he had found in the prop department across the water and explore the other caverns.

His greatest joy was being able to hear the music of the orchestra no matter where he went. In his earlier years music had been the only way he was able to express himself. Well no one was willing to stop and chat with him. To them he was nothing more than a monster; something that would only bring them to shame and misery later on.

Erik hung his head in shame. For a brief moment he recalled his mother. She had never been very kind to him either except that short time right before he ran away. He had gotten beat up by some of the town boys and she had taken care of him that night. Once the pain had passed he had made up his mind that he would never cause anyone pain ever again and that same night he fled.

All night he had run away from his fears. Tear fell from his eyes as he pushed aside branches and foliage to clear his path. That was how he came upon the gypsy troupe. Starving he snuck into the group of wagons hoping to take something and make a clean get away. Everything went wrong when he backed into a horse and sent the poor beast into an awful state. He was caught and remained their main attraction for at least a year before Antoinette came into the picture…his guardian from the heavens.

A warm smile spread across Erik's features as he continued climbing up a fly rope. Figuring that this would now be his home he had the right to know how it functioned and operated. On his own he had learned a lot about knots through trial and error. He eventually had to move his trials down to the lair, because he woke each morning too much shouting about sandbags being deposited upon the stage.

Another one of his favorite games was stealing music that was left over in the orchestra pit after hours. The cleaning woman never saw him as he climbed through a vent beneath the pit and would quickly make off with the sheets. Within a years time; Erik had trained his ears into making out the proper notes by using the sheets to follow along during rehearsals. He never worked on music during shows, because all of his attention was on Antoinette.

She was growing more beautiful every time he saw her. The years that passed were never cruel to their appearances, but changes in their behavior became apparent. Erik would feel his cheeks begin to burn whenever she gazed up into the box during the performances; somehow he managed to secure that seat, but no one was willing to ask him just how he managed to do it.

Around the age of 11 Erik became more aware of the physical changes he was going through. His voice cracked very often as he tried to sing the notes off the sheet music. After awhile he got frustrated with being unable to sing the high notes like once before. Antoinette pulled him aside one afternoon and displayed a new booklet of sheet music.

"Erik, you can't sing soprano," she said taking the packet of sheet music from him. "That is way out of your range. Here try this section for tenors. This is the high range for a male."

Erik tried out a few notes then threw the music to the floor. "This is filth," he shouted.

Antoinette jumped back in surprise, but then hurried to collect the music before it got wet. "Hey, what'd you do that for? Do you have any idea what lengths I went to getting these for you?"

"I'm sorry Antoinette," he said kneeling down and began helping her collect the music. "It's just that I can't believe how they could ruin such an excellent piece of music. I could write better operas then this."

"But, Erik what do you know about writing operas?" Antoinette teased.

Erik shot her a cold glare. "There are things you don't know about me my dear friend. I knew about music for a long time. When I had a home for a time I would play piano every chance I got or I worked on designing buildings. I had many talents that didn't seem normal for a 5 year old. I only did this whole singing thing, because I don't have an instrument to use. I can't use the ones in the pit. I'll get in trouble."

Antoinette looked over at him now forgetting all about the fallen music. She thought about the nice sum of money she had in her room from past Christmases and birthdays her parents and grandparents had sent her. She barely used any of it, because she was provided with all her meals here and she had everything she could possibly want.

"Erik, I will get an instrument for you. You'll have to wait awhile, but I will get it for you I promise."

"You don't have to do that," he said glumly almost believing it could be some kind of lie to make him feel better. "I'm quite alright without one."

"But I want to do this for you. Please have faith in me and you'll see that things will work out." Suddenly on an impulse she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

Both of them let out a startled gasp as she pulled away their cheeks both a bright color of red.

"I've got to go now. I'll be back down here tomorrow to give you your present," she called as she escaped up the tunnel.

"Yeah, tomorrow," Erik said in a daze as he placed a hand on his cheek where Antoinette had kissed him. What was this feeling of warmth that was running through him? Why was his heart beating so fast? And above all what drove her to do such a strange thing?

Antoinette was thinking all the same things as she hurried up to her room and dug through her trunk for her bank. Why had she kissed Erik like that and why was she going through all this trouble to get him an instrument? Was she going mad or worse was she sick? Finally finding the bank below some old papers she counted out the money and dressed in a causal dress.

"I'd like a ride to the violin shop," she told the carriage driver.

"Of course little miss," the man said with a smile.

Antoinette sat down in the carriage and held the money bag tightly. She watched the shops and people outside go by and thought about Erik. Would he ever be able to go outside again? For 2 years now he had been trapped inside the dark abyss of the opera house cellar; though he probably liked it down there. Why wouldn't he? There was plenty of room down there, he was alone except when she came to visit, and he probably had the biggest bed of any opera house occupant. No one, but Erik had control over it. He was the one who built that large peacock bed and supplied the silk blankets for it.

"Here we are dear," the carriage driver called to her.

"Thank you sir," Antoinette said politely as she stepped out of the carriage. "I'll be right back out in a minute."

Walking into the store Antoinette went right over to the violins and began trying to picture which one would fit Erik's body shape. The owner spotted her and came over eager to make a sale, but when he saw who she was he was rather surprised.

"A mere girl here, buying a violin. My I've seen everything haven't I? Exactly what are you doing in here? You can't afford one of those."

Antoinette looked up at him her eyes sparkling. "I can sir and I will. Now tell me what violin will best suit a growing 11 year old please."

The owner gave her another confused glance before picking up a mahogany violin and showing it to her. "This one here would fit the arm length of an 11 year old with a bit of growing room. Does your friend grow pretty quickly for their age?"

Antoinette was surprised the owner didn't even enquire or look into the gender of her friend. Then she noticed that indeed Erik had been growing quite rapidly these past few months and nodded. "Yes, they do grow pretty quickly. They've grown at least three inches in the past four months. I believe that will suit him just fine. But what happens if h-they grow out of it," she said catching herself before she revealed Erik's gender to the owner."

"Well what I can do is with the purchase of this violin I will throw in free Rosen and as they grow I will supply them with the next size free of charge. I always offer those services to my customers. Would you like me to prepare this one for you?"

"Yes, please. And do you also sell blank music sheets and ink?"

"I have all that over on the back shelf. Help yourself to the items. I also have here a small flute that will help with tuning up the instrument if your friend needs that as well."

"Oh, Monsieur, thank you so much," Antoinette beamed as she put a stack of blank music sheets and a bottle of ink on the counter.

"How do you plan to pay for all this?" the owner asked as he placed the violin and bow gently into the velvet case.

Antoinette pulled out her purse and dumped the contents onto the counter. It easily came to $500, more than enough to get everything.

"Where did you get all this money?" the owner asked as he began counting out the right amount.

"Well did you ever hear of Mousier Giry of "Giry's Paper and Inkwell Emporium" in Northern Paris?"

"You mean to tell me you're related to him?"

"He's my grandfather. My father also works there along with him. I think I should get a small bargain, because it's my grandfather that supplies you with the paper and ink," Antoinette said.

"Yes, of course. You can take it for free. But you still have to pay for the violin. I can't just let these go for free you know. I'd go out of business."

"I completely understand. Next time I write to my grandfather I'll tell him what you've done. I'm sure he'll give you a discount on your supplies for being so kind to his granddaughter."

"All right now here is everything you need and you take good care of yourself young lady. Thank you for much for your business here and tell your grandfather I said hello."

"I will," Antoinette replied stepping out of the store with the violin in one hand and the bundle of other things in the other. She climbed into the carriage and slowly opened the case once she was settled. "Oh, Erik I really hope you like it."

Oh wow. This one was a long chapter. Sorry I was on and off so much with the writing of chapters. I had to pack for college, then get to college, and finally get into the whole unpacking of stuff and get ready for the new school year. New chapters will be coming when I have the time to write them. I promise.

P.S. Looking for feedback!


	4. Time Goes On

I'm so sorry for being away so long. I had no time to type up stories and also had the worst writer's block. I am so sorry to keep you all from a good story. Here it is chapter four.

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Chapter 4: Time Goes On

8 years later

Many seasons had passed and Erik became aware of how few his meetings with Antoinette were. He understood how busy the opera house was, because he began to watch the shows on a regular basis. Antoinette had teased him by saying, "I'll bet you could get box 5 as a permanent seat if you write a letter to the opera house manager." Erik thought about it and soon wrote his own letter to Monsieur Clayton demanding Box 5 as his own private seat.

The day Clayton received the letter he ran screaming into the house right in the middle of rehearsal.

"Madam, stop the rehearsal! I must share this with you."

Madam put up her hand and then turned to face Monsieur Clayton. "What is so important, Monsieur, that you must interrupt our dance rehearsal?"

Clayton climbed onto the stage and handed Madam the opened envelope. Antoinette peeked over another girl's shoulder to see a large pool of red wax hanging from the edge of the envelope's flap and gasped. Erik had taken her literally and written the letter.

"Do we know anyone by the name of O.G?" Clayton asked, as Madam read the letter.

"_O.G?" _Antoinette thought. _"What kind of mischief is he planning to pull now?"_

"I know of no O.G. sir. My guess is someone is messing with your head."

"But, Madam, you don't understand. Whoever this person is he demands that this request be fulfilled or something will happen during the performance. I will not allow something or someone destroying my prized masterpiece."

"Then just leave the box open Monsieur. If no one shows then you can let it go as a harmless little prank," Madam said, sounding a bit bored.

"But that's the best seat in the theatre. On top of that every show it seems to be filled anyway. I will sell the box, but no one is able to get into it. Not even with the key. It's as if some strange force is keeping us from going in there."

"Fine, do whatever you wish sir, but if you please I would like to get back to my rehearsal."

Clayton raised his arms in defeat. "Alright, go back and rehearse, but if I ever catch the hooligan I will make it he can never use his writing hand again!"

Antoinette watched Clayton as he hurried into the house and down the left aisle. Then she realized Erik had never told her how he managed to sneak into the box before people got up there. Was he coming early or did one of his mirrors allow him access to the small balcony? She decided she would ask him before the performance tomorrow. At 17 years, Erik was becoming quite a troublesome teenager.

* * *

Following Day

Erik's arm was a blur as he thrust his bow across the violin strings. He was playing so fast, one could have sworn smoke was rising into the air. Eyes closed listening to the melody, Erik moved throughout his cavern as his played. A music stand covered with sheets of notes sat nearby, but he barely glanced at it having played this piece multiple times.

The newest violin rested upon his shoulder as a new sized mask sat on his right cheek. He had grown into a handsome young man and started taking pride in himself. He would dress in the leftover costumes the male actors had outgrown and he even found a few decent wigs to cover his lack of natural hair. He noticed the lack of growth around the age of 12 and ended up finding a few slicked back black haired wigs that he proudly wore.

A cavern door opened, but distracted by his music Erik did not hear it. Antoinette stepped in wearing a beautiful white dress and for a moment she stood impressed by Erik's figure. She was surprised how much this man had grown within her care. When he had reached the age of 13, she realized that Erik was getting taller. It didn't take long for him to pass her by a few feet and tower over her. He once came to her waist, but now he stood just inches above her eyes.

"Um…Erik? Are you busy?" she called out to him.

Erik continued to play. She called again and still no response. Frustrated she went forward and poked him in the shoulder. Startled, Erik finished the up thrust of the bow and lost his grip. He spun around quickly as the bow shot across the cavern and landed just edges from the water's edge. Suddenly, Antoinette started laughing and Erik turned to acknowledge her.

"Oh! So you find this funny do you?" he asked. "You are so lucky that didn't land in the water or I would have thrown you in to go fetch it."

Antoinette doubled over in laughter and ended up snorting. Erik laughed as she covered her mouth and stood back up.

"You just snorted!" Erik managed to shout between a series of heavy chuckles.

"It's your fault!" Antoinette cried.

"My fault!?! Who decided it would be smart to come and tap me on the shoulder while I was in the middle of a rather fast violin piece?

"But I needed to talk to you."

"Well you have my attention. What is it you want?" Erik asked as he straightened and cleared his throat. A small smile still graced his lips as he set the violin down on a small side table.

Antoinette placed her hands on Erik's shoulders and gazed into his eyes. "Erik, please tell me how you get into Box 5. Clayton received your letter yesterday and he was furious."

Erik took her left hand and held it in his own. "If I told you it wouldn't be a mystery. The Opera Ghost does not reveal his secrets to anyone."

"Opera Ghost? So that's what O.G. stands for. Where did you ever get that idea?"

"Well this is an opera house and I can get through the walls just like a ghost. Don't you think that sounds right?"

Antoinette watched his eyes as they gazed back at her. A strange feeling flowed through her, a feeling she normally felt in Erik's company. Her hand seemed to sweat as he held it within his own. _"Does he feel the same?" _she wondered as she looked towards their conjoined hands. _"Why do I feel this way when all we are is good friends?"_ Now lost her thoughts she had forgotten why she had come down her in the first place.

Erik watched her carefully as she seemed to be within a weird trance. He knew something bothered her, but he couldn't put a name to it. She had come down her wondering how he planned to pull off his greatest feat, but now all she seemed curious in was the way he now held her hand. He had to break the silence somehow, so he began to hum. Quickly she looked up at him as his other hand rested against her waist. "Dance with me."

He led her onto a flat section of the rock and began to waltz with her in tune with his humming. At first she looked shocked, but her look of confusion became a slight smile. Erik returned the smile and twirled her out taking a moment to admire her dress in the candle light. When she twirled back in she rested her head upon his chest and listened to his heart beat increase in speed, a small moan escaping her mouth.

Erik moved her slowly across the floor and rested his head against hers taking in the lush smell of her hair. It felt as if he was dancing through a field full of wild flowers. A place he had never seen before. A place he could only visit in his dreams, a place where no one could ever hurt him again. Antoinette shifted beneath him causing him to lift his head and look down at her. In one swift movement she stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss.

* * *

Haha cliffhanger. I will write more I promise. Keep an eye out. I promise I won't disappoint you. It's short, but that means more is to come.


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